KidRex is an engaging, safe search engine for students that is powered by Google Custom Search and Google SafeSearch technology. In addition to typical filters applied to searches, the site maintains its own database of inappropriate websites and keywords to further reduce the possibility of inappropriate search returns. The search engine is easy to use and similar to a typical Google search. You simply enter the search term and a list of sites is returned. Inappropriate search terms are returned with an "Oops, try again!" message. Before using the site, be sure to click on the Parents link for a quick overview of how the site works.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Create a link to KidRex on classroom computers for students to use as a default search engine. Use this site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to demonstrate how to search for items or when searching with your students.

Comments

A similar site that uses Google SafeSearch, but may be more appropriate for older kids is http://www.KidzSearch.comDaniel, CA, Grades: 0 - 12

This site offers a look into New York's little-discussed history with slavery in the United States. New York was the capital of American slavery for more than two centuries. This exhibition spans the period from the 1600s to 1827, when slavery was legally abolished in New York State. After entering the site, visitors enter galleries with slide shows including pictures and written descriptions of events in New York during this time. Many portions in each gallery have further information included by clicking on links, text, and pictures, be sure to "look around" carefully so you don't miss anything. Although the exhibit was originally opened in 2005-2006, the site appears to have been continually maintained. This is definitely worth a look!

In the Classroom

Share this site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector); then allow students to explore on their own. Assign each of the 9 galleries to different students to explore, then have each group create an online presentation on their gallery using Nota (reviewed here) or another reviewed presentation tool from the TeachersFirst Edge.

This site is a marvelous, award-winning collection of well-organized interactive content, lesson plans at three levels, and videos exploring cultures all around the world. Organized by level, you'll find upper elementary, middle school, and high school. Begin by testing your Global IQ with a quiz, then select a level and watch the featured video, next click on a country of interest and click the links to get a map and great information! With 21 countries featured (at the time of this review) you're sure to find one of interest.

In the Classroom

As an anticipatory set, allow students to take the Global IQ quiz on 1:1 devices or a projector or on an interactive whiteboard to discuss the questions and take the quiz as a class. Then, informally assess prior knowledge of a selected country as you start your study of its geography, people, and other cultural items. Challenge students to select a country and create a brochure about what they learned using Sway, reviewed here, to share with their peers. Have students in language classes create similar videos and/or blogs that feature items of interest in countries whose languages they are studying.

Find material about the U.S. national symbols, famous Americans, major landmarks, national symbols, and the basics of the US government organization and workings. Although this site is geared towards ESL/ELL students, it could be useful in all classrooms. The site is not high tech. It consists mostly of simple written text. In addition to text, there are slide shows about government topics that include lesson plans, pictures and activities. There is also a link to videos on many of the topics. Links to other themed pages include U.S. holidays, important U.S. politicians, geography, and life/survival skills for ELL/ELL learners.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Have ESL/ELL students search for answers to previously prepared questions or do a scavenger hunt to find relevant information. Pair ESL/ELL students with a verbally strong English speaking partner so they can listen to the text being read. Use the links under U.S. Geography as an introduction for students doing state projects. Have students create posters from the info they gather here using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here or PicLits (reviewed here. Or use an online poster creator, such as Padlet (reviewed here).

Join a community of online learners, teachers, experts, and parents, which provides variety and creativity in teaching and learning. Different areas of focus include Applied Sciences, English/literature, Humanities, Learning Strategies, Mathematics, Sciences, Social/Behavioral Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts, and World Languages. Within the subject matter, learning packets focusing on specific educational objects is presented through a number of medias including; audio, video, PowerPoints, or written text. Opportunity to ask the creator of the packet specific questions follows the information. Suggested grade levels are included. By getting a free account, you may contribute learning packets, questions, or rate a packet.

In the Classroom

Provide your students with reinforcement or challenge into the many different areas listed. Allow time for students to choose their area of interest to study. Create an account and contribute your teaching materials. Be sure to list this site on your class website as a resource. Encourage parents to visit this site to brush up on their skills. Challenge students to create your own learning packets based on your areas of study. Include your own personalized packets on your class blog. You can create a private group, so only your students may access your materials.

Curriki is a nonprofit organization that encourages collaboration of teachers and learners in a global community of 211 different countries. Find resources by grade level, subject area, or resource type (interactive, video, or podcast.) Usage type, or exercise, unit, lesson plan, or game, is another option for searching. Use the professional webinars for a better understanding of Curriki. Onsite training is another option listed. Join different groups for a more involved way to explore new areas in online learning, subject area interests, or focus questions. Be a peer reviewer offering comments or suggestions on submitted lessons, units, games, or exercises and give your input. Create collections of your resources to keep privately or share with others. Easily make lesson plans or web quests with the easy to use templates, which include graphic organizer and rubric options. Try a problem based learning unit. Join the challenge to create a video lesson for a chance at winning $5000. The focus of this site is to provide access to teachers, schools, students, or parents to many new creative ideas in a global community. Free membership includes monthly newsletters. Follow Curriki on Facebook, twitter, or blogs.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Curriki has a number of ways to benefit teachers and students. Use Curriki as a resource listed on your website for parents and students to have extra opportunities for additional practice or enrichment. Use as a way to organize your digital resources. The lesson plan and webquest templates are user friendly and promote best practices. While growing in your professional development by connecting with teachers worldwide, let your class learn with other classes worldwide. Curriki encourages you to think critically of your own lessons, but also lessons suggested.

Sqworl is a site for combining multiple links into one single link. Registration is required; however, it is very easy. You create a username and password, add your email and it is done. After registering, a personal homepage is created, this is where the magic can begin! The homepage is where groups will be created to combine url's. Then adding some groups of link begins the process of creating groups. At this point a title is given to the group being created (examples might be Math sites, American History, etc.). The final step is to add a short description. After choosing start, simply copy and paste the url you want to use and add a short description and click finish. Once a group is created, it can be shared through the url shown on the page. Sqworl also has a bookmarklet that can be added to the browser toolbar making it easier to add items to your groups without having to open the homepage. There is also a mobile app for iPhone.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

In the classroom use this site to combine url's of online class projects into one group. Create a group of resources for students or parents for different subjects and share the url through your classroom website or newsletter. Create a group with videos relating to classroom content. Create a classroom account and let students add resources they have found to groups to share with others. Show students how to follow other groups on Sqworl and share resources by creating their own groups. Share this site with others in your building or district as an easy way to save and share online resources.

This site offers a complete lesson plan to use with students prior to beginning a first research project. The lesson takes students through the process of analyzing book titles to determine ones that would be helpful in their research. It then builds on class discussion to enable students to make informed decisions on appropriate research material. One especially useful part of the lesson is the Hints About Print interactive link included in the lesson plan. This would be a wonderful site to use on your interactive whiteboard to lead the class through basics of choosing materials for research. Other useful items on the site are the nonfiction book reviews and nonfiction book evaluation forms that are available in pdf form for easy classroom use. Find all resources and print material by choosing the Resources and Preparation tab near the top of the page.

In the Classroom

View the Hints About Print interactive with your class on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to demonstrate different concepts on choosing appropriate resources for research. If you don't have an interactive whiteboard, create a link on your classroom computers for students to view as a center. This site is perfect to use with older students who may have already done research projects as a review for choosing materials. ESL and Special Education teachers may want to use materials included in this lesson as an aid for students who have been assigned research projects.

Stich.it is a new link-shortening service that lets you combine several links into one and then plays them like a slideshow. View examples shown on the site. Some have descriptive text found at the top of each slide and written by the user. Follow the helpful information along the side for using Stich.

In the Classroom

Use Stich.it for Internet scavenger hunts. Create a Stich with all the links needed to complete a project or for the entire unit. Students can create a Stich that showcases the websites that they used to complete an assignment or project. Use this with even the youngest students by sharing a Stich on your class website for students and parents to explore. Make a Stich of sites to learn to count, a stich for sites to learn the branches of government, a stich of sites to learn about tough biology concepts, a stich of sites to practice trigonometry, and pretty much anything else you can imagine!

Take a virtual tour of sixteen of the world's natural wonders without leaving your classroom on this interactive site. Follow each of the arrows to travel to each stop on the tour including Angel Falls, the Aurora Borealis, the Grand Canyon and more. Each stop links to a website with information about the natural wonder, there is also a short explanation under the slide so be sure not to miss that part of the site.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Share this site with students on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then assign each of the wonders to a group to investigate further. Have students research other natural wonders not included on the list and debate if they should have been included. Create your own list of natural wonders for your state or community. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here.

This interactive weather map of the U.S., Mexico and Canada allows you to mouse over any location to see current conditions including temperature, wind chill, visibility, dew point, etc. Most "dots" are local airports. With a click on the desired station, a history of the current weather conditions for the last few days pops up, showing the information in a linear table. In addition, there are graphs above the table of temperature/dewpoint and relative humidity. Under other tabs on this page are aerial weather information observations, forecasts, and other more technical weather information. This is a great source for seeing a variety of graphs and their practical applications.

In the Classroom

Use this site as an introduction to study of graphs, meteorology, and information application. Aspiring meteorologists will find plenty of new vocabulary to learn here. To show what they have learned from this site, challenge students to create an online graphic to share using Tabblo reviewed here.

This site tells the story of the farm families that produce milk for a large cheese-making enterprise. Select a dot within one of the states on the map (New York, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, or Massachusetts) and read the story of the family who lives at that location. Stories are text only, but they do have clear photographs of each family. You can then select another story by a family in the same state or go back to the original map and select another family's story anywhere. As you roll your mouse over the dot, the name of the family and the community where they live pop up. Ignore the advertising; the site content is worth it.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Have students create similar photo essays of farmers or members of any other profession in your state, using this as a model and example. Have students create a multimedia presentation, adding audio, using Thinglink, reviewed here. This site allows you to narrate a picture. Challenge students to find (legally permitted to be reproduced) or even take a photo.

Slavery Footprint calculates the number of forced laborers involved in making the products we buy as consumers (such as beans in our coffee). Questions are based on the food you eat, clothes you own, and even the sports you do. There is even the option to add detail about certain commodities to allow the program to make a more precise calculation. The result gives you the exact number of slaves that "work for you" in the supply chains of your consumption. An interesting portion of the site goes into detail about the methodology used for determining the number of slaves "working" for the respondents. The site also provides their definition of a slave: "Anyone who is forced to work without pay, being economically exploited, and unable to walk away." Be sure to share the opening portion of the site, "What? Slaves work for me?" with students for a wonderful explanation of slavery and the purpose of the site. Note: There is one question in the survey about paying for sex. While sexual slave trade is a very real issue in today's world, you may not want your less mature students to encounter this question. Only you know your school community's tolerance for such discussions.

In the Classroom

Have students complete individual surveys and graph results, use the information for a basis of class discussions on economy and each individual's impact on the environment. Complete one survey for the entire class on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) using average information found from students. Show the impact of changes in lifestyle by completing new surveys by making lifestyle changes. Have students use a tool such as Buzzsprout, reviewed here, to create a fictitious radio news story from information they learn at this site. Have students use a mapping tool such as Google Earth, reviewed here, to create an audio (and visual) tour of countries included on the survey.

Need kid-friendly online news? This safe site, written for kids, by kids, offers news from a younger point-of-view. You can create a class page where you can load a variety of articles, add a book list, a calendar, favorite sites list, add lesson plan instructions, monitor student comments, and more. DOGOnews is kid friendly, colorful, and flexible. After all, DOGO means young or small in Swahili. You can select articles from a number of categories (Social Studies, Science, World, Current Events, etc.). There is an integrated dictionary for challenging words and maps for geographical context. Some of the articles include short video clips. Students may leave brief comments about each article (no login required). Also, typing the word "video" in the search box will bring up the Video of the Week for the past several weeks. The videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as Freemake Video Converter, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube. In addition, find a Book and Movie section with a brief summary for the book or movie, and comments. You don't have to join to read the articles, but you do need to join to create a class page. There are many benefits to creating a class page, and it's all free! Don't want to create a class page? You can also embed articles on your current web page.

In the Classroom

Non-fiction reading and background knowledge have found a new emphasis with The Common Core State Standards. It is more important now than ever to help connect students with quality, non-fiction reading and viewing material. Find great news resources and videos of the week to create assignments for your class at DOGOnews. You may want to create a class page and load several news articles. Have students choose from the articles, and email it to themselves. Have students print out the article and complete a "close reading" of the article by annotating it. Then have students who chose the same article get together in groups to discuss their reactions about the article, create a summary together, and create four or five open-ended questions about the article. Lastly, create groups of four, with each student having a different article, and have them present their article to the others in the group and ask them their open-ended questions to trigger a discussion. Create a class magazine from the articles. Or better yet, have students create a multimedia presentation using UtellStory, reviewed here. This site allows users to narrate a picture. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report. Strengthen reading comprehension by having an 'article du jour' on your interactive whiteboard or projector as students arrive. Link this site on your homepage.

Youngzine is news and more for the young. Enjoy the different articles, comics, videos, etc. without signing up, or you can sign up to have full access to everything on this safe site, including teacher tools. General subjects include World News, Science & Technology, Our Earth, Society & Arts. For each class, teachers get a blog where they can post assignments and have students respond. Teachers can register their class for free. You can include specific articles and quizzes for each assignment. Comments are moderated to prevent inappropriate classroom content.

For each of your classes, you see a full report of each student's activities by going to your classroom tab. Youngzine also provides a safe "blog" environment for classrooms - a constructive, creative, and controlled way for teachers to create classroom assignments and foster discussions about current events! The blog can be completely private so outsiders cannot see student comments. Teachers control these settings.

In the Classroom

Have your students make comments on articles (public comments), take quizzes, rate articles, and participate in contests. You can create custom assignments and have students respond and discuss, right on Youngzine! This is a great way to assess student's understanding and create an arena for a discussion/debate between class students. Or, ask your students to summarize an article, as a way to encourage them to think and write.

There is also a tab for "U Write." This section appears to allow students to write about issues in their community, or programs they've heard about to help a suffering communities. You might consider having your students look at the different articles and decide on a community to help. Have them vote on the community they would like to help by using Votesy, reviewed here.

This site features a wonderfully specific pictorial database of "every day" images that define cultures. Images are Creative Commons licensed and can be used by download (three sizes) or direct link. At the time of this review, general topics included German, ESL (American,) French, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, and a few others. Besides offering a photograph (in three sizes) of something specifically Chinese or something only found in Japan, the vocabulary label for the object shown as well as its translation into its language of origin is available and indexed. There is also a detailed guide for teachers offering many wonderful suggestions of how to use CAPL in the classroom. The suggested activities include using images as objects, visual "texts," media illustrations, and narratives as well as ideas for using the images to teach vocabulary and culture. More is added to this site frequently, so be sure to check back!

In the Classroom

Language students can use these images to create online posters using a tool such as Poster Wizard (reviewed here or PicLits (reviewed here. Have students make a visual lexicon of new vocabulary words. Use interest in some of the pics here as a jumping off point for more cultural exploration. Talk about what items we would photograph in the U.S. that are culturally specific and rich in cultural meaning (for example, the Green Bay Packers stadium).

This site provides introductory information about transportation in Pennsylvania. You can explore the aviation section to find fun aviation facts such as when the first humans flew in a hot air balloon. More interesting facts can be found at the Maintenance Shed including information about Pennsylvania's first highways and state driver licensing information. The site is a little tricky to navigate, be sure to follow links on the left side of each page in order to locate all information contained here.

In the Classroom

Share this site on your interactive whiteboard with students demonstrating how to locate links on the site, then allow students to explore on their own. Have students create online posters using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here) using information found on the site. Have students create a scavenger hunt using information located on the site for other students to follow.

This graph shows how the world's population (currently about 7 billion) is distributed. You can mouse over to see the details of the seven highest populated countries, the history of their population growth, and their projected population. Other options for viewing including checking world regions: Africa, Asia, North America, South America, and Europe. You can add any other country to a graph by simply clicking on the box next to the name of that particular country.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use this site to teach beginning graph reading to advanced data analysis. Compare the growth rates in the top most populated countries by creating your own online graphs using Tabblo reviewed here. Challenge students to research other countries during research projects and use the population data provided here. Be sure to ask why these trends may be happening and what the results of the population changes might be. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here.

This website written just for kid teaches students about the history of money, financial institutions, and investing. Each portion of the site contains short segments of information that are easy to follow and each category includes a short online quiz. Individual portions of each segment can also be accessed by links on the page making it easy to go back and review portions already seen or to preview the quiz before reading. In addition to the online segments, there is a glossary of economic turns which could be useful for many different classroom applications.

In the Classroom

Provide students with questions from the quizzes on the site before looking at the information offered giving students a focus for their reading. Challenge students to create a talking avatar using a photo or other image (legally permitted to be reproduced). The avatars can be used to explain financial information learned on the site. Use a site such as Blabberize (reviewed here).

The Vermont Secretary of State offers this bright, interesting website for students all over to learn about their state. Information on the site includes "All About Vermont" with state facts, state symbols, Vermont firsts, and Sea Monsters in Vermont! Another portion of the site includes a great deal of information about how a bill becomes a law, the Secretary of State's job, and how students can become involved in government. Teachers will want to be sure to take a look at the Vermont Votes for Kids section that features a democracy in action newspaper as well as many lessons that have been correlated to Vermont State Standards but can be useful in any classroom from kindergarten through 12th grade. Other links provide resources such as books about Vermont, state authors, and contests and games. This is one of the better sites offered as a state resource and is worth a visit for you and your students.

In the Classroom

Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector, then allow students to explore on their own. Create (or have a group of students create) a scavenger hunt to find information included on the site. To show what they have learned from this site, challenge students to create an online graphic to share using Tabblo reviewed here.